Poll results - a segmented vase

[Robert McGowen]

A while back I took a poll on what I should enter into a juried show and a segmented vase won the poll, which of course, was fine with me. I designed a vase based on a rather large vase that I liked the form of. The vase turned out to be 16" tall, which is about the max of my Jet 1220 when you get the tail stock, face plate, etc., on the lathe that I needed to turn this. I did not really want to get into a feature ring due to the time I had available and also the entries are supposed to be sold, so I wanted something that could fit in with most anyone's decor, but still look "fancy" enough that it looked like it would be difficult to make. I would appreciate any concerns on shape or design, as it will help me with the next piece, but this one is going one way or the other!

16" tall, 400 pieces of hard maple and 81 pieces of cherry. Twin spirals of cherry. There are 41 rings and 40 of the rings are 12 segments each. All rings are 3/8" tall. Sanded to 800 grit and finished with 3 coats of Waterlox original.

Thanks for looking.

[ROY DICK]

Robert,

That is "one outstandin' vase". Great appeal to the eye.

Roy

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Robert...you nailed the form and finish. The wood ....I like it but in my humble opinion a little more contrast would please me more.

Very nicely done Robert!

[Brian Brown]

Robert,

This is awesome!!! Your joints look great. Teach me Obi-Wan. I really like the form, especially the ever so slightly concave bottom 2/3. How long did this one take?

Brian

[Bernie Weishapl]

Robert that is beautiful. Form and finish are excellent.

[Robert McGowen]

I probably have about 35 hours in it start to finish. I feel like I could do another one in half the time. That is pretty much the way it goes with every segmented piece I do though.

I made all of the rings out of 4/4 wood and then split them into two pieces on the table saw using a jig that was in Malcolm Tibbetts' book. I offset them 1/2 of a segment and then glued the two rings back together. This gave me two 3/8" thick rings out of each glue up. It worked out very well.

The woods actually has quite a bit of contrast between them. I was thinking about using walnut instead of cherry, but it was too dark. The entire vase seems to shimmer and changes at each angle that you look at it from. All of the cherry in the pictures is the same color, but when the light hits it at a certain angle, it appears to change color. That is why the middle pieces of cherry in the photos seem to be a different color than the rest of the pieces.

If you have never tried Waterlox, it was simple to use and gave a great finish.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Very nice work Robert! Great form and finish! I like the wood color combination - makes for a pleasing contrast that will only get more pronounced over time. Very nice!

[Paul Engle]

Yea Robert, Steve's right, once the patina starts in oh baby . Nice work Robert you have every right to be proud of this for sure. 35 hrs huh? at 15$ an hour plus materials .

[Tom Sherman]

Robert you have a good eye, that is an excellent piece.

[Jim Kountz]

Great job! Im trying my hand at some segmented work but havent tried anything this size yet. Tell me how you did the hollowing.

[Tom Hamilton]

Beautiful piece Robert. Thanks for sharing it with us. Tom

[Dean Thomas]

Robert, ya done gooooooood!!

I like the tall, elegant form better than shorter pieces, but that's strictly a personal issue. I also enjoy the subtle concave on the bottom. The dark piece on the bottom visually anchors the piece for me. I also love the play of the grain. Let us know how many ribbons and offers you get for this baby!

[Richard Madison]

Robert,
Mostly ditto what they all said. Glad you did not use walnut, as the excessive contrast might have actually detracted from the overall look of this particular piece. Sometimes the "checkered flag" look works, and sometimes not.

Consider the use of 4 spirals upward to the right (the other direction). Like, screwing up instead of screwing down. I never screw down, but I frequently ---. Never mind. Would be a little fancier with no increase in work or difficulty. And consider turning down to smaller neck and top "flare" diameters. Not tiny. Just a little smaller. In trying to improve the shape of my s*** (oops, the "form" of my work), have been amazed by the improvements that can be made by some fairly subtle changes.

Bottom line, joints look good from here, finish looks good, am sure Malcolm is proud of all of us who have learned from his book, and I hope that the jury will smile and heap accolades upon your work.

[Bill Wyko]

I like it Robert. Nice job. Good contrast and fine finish. You've been busy.

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

Beautiful piece, Robert. If you don't get a ribbon of some sort at the jury, then the judges need to have their brains scrubbed.